United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hey Everyone, hope it's a good day for most!
Been feeling better overall and want to do more. 8 months post accident. I know it's a mix out there about "wearing out" your nontbpi arm but I'd like to do some weight training on mine, I'm thinking the focused strenghth training could help, even if it's just mental, sometimes the nonfunction of my RTBPI can be depressing! Anythoughts? Any workouts that worked for somebody? Of course my ROM on the injured arm will continue as I continue to regain Quad strength learning to walk again. Have a Blessed Sunday everyone!

kaz, basic single joint movements are key. Then add in multijoint movements if you can.

Here's a list of basic freeweight exercises. Remember, with freeweights come the variations of basic movements, like grip positions and angles. Use them all!

Arms:

- bicep curls (preacher curls, hammer curls, out to the side shoulder extended)
- tricep extensions (skull crushers, cable pulldowns, rear extensions, behind the head extensions)
- front rows (delts)
- side rows (back/shoulder)
- lateral press
- overhead press
- arnold press
- chest press
- chest flys
- forearm curls (plus supination and pronation)

Legs:
- leg extensions (quads)
- leg curls (hams)
- leg press (glutes, hams, quads)
- calf raises
- lunges
- Smith machine squat rack

Abs:
- crunches
- situps
- oblique machine
- reverse crunches

Lower Back:
- back extension machine
- extension rack (free weight/body weight)

Once your legs are strong enough, you can work on your balance with plyometrics. I use them alot on my legs to keep them quick, strong and flexible.

I've a Health and Fitness degree and a LBPI. After my accident I had to relearn to walk again as well. Slow and steady with your exercises, build strength first through the movement ofyour bodyweight. What you are doing when you do that is retraining the nerves and muscles again on what they should be doing and how they should be moving. Until you have the biomechnics correct, do not lift heavy. It is going to be a progression.

Thinking back to when I was still trying to walk, I did a lot of bed/matt exercises. For instance, lay on your back, knees bent like you are about to do a situp. Instead, you will press with your heels to lift your hips off the mat. Squeeze your hams and glutes.

I did alot of psuedosquats too. Sit on the edge of a bench, feet a comfortable shoulder width apart and go from seated to standing. Try to keep your hips and legs as strict a motion as possible so that you do not favor to one side.

Leg lifts - lie on your back, one leg extended and one bent at the knee. Take your extended leg, toe pointed up at the ceiling and lift your leg to perpendicular. Keep your toes flexed and your knee straight. Do some reps of those and change legs.

Knee to the chest - same position as the left lifts, but instead of lifting your leg straight, you will pull your knee up towards your chest (as if you're doing a high knee when you're lying down). Do this in as controled a motion as possible.

I will say it again, DO ALL EXERCISES IN AS CONTROLLED A MOTION AS POSSIBLE. This will prevent injury as well as strictly train your nerves and muscles on the PROPER way to move again.

THANKS SO MUCH! I was having one of those days and the reply was much needed. How long did it take you to walk again? My right leg had 16fxs & my pelvis had an open book fx, the worst was the non-union fx in the tib/fib just below the knee(3 surgeries, bone stimulator,6months later)Dr. has given me the weight baring as tollerated, so I've been in outpt PT 10 weeks....It's amazing how weak the muscles get & the progress is so slow & the desire to walk independently so high & your body only letting you do so much at a time! Thanks again & I here you about proper technique, as bad as I want it, I don't want to damage anything else or more.

Well, as a result of my initial injuries I was paralyzed on the complete left side of my body, and below the waist right side. After traction and stabilization I regained movement in my right leg (I always had feeling, but no movement), and feeling in my left leg came back, though it was terribly weak, to the point of starting at zero, so to speak. I couldn't even flex my foot under the blankets.

Without making this a long story, I was finally able to take a step, with assistance and that darn belt around 3wks after the accident. I was still living at the rehab hospital. I think I finally got to go home at 5wks. And I very shortly after started PT at the orthopedic center. That's where I was put on a weight training and cardio workout. 1hr per day, 3 days a week.

To this day, my left side (leg mainly) is considerably weaker and more spastic than the right, which is actually dulled and strong.

Only recently as I have really focused my weight workouts to "getting even" in my body strength is to do each leg lift using single leg. Basically, I break the lift further from doing a leg extension with both legs, I drop the weight and do reps and sets for each leg. When both are done, then I move to using both legs as traditionally done. What this does to break down the movement to one leg is isolate it. I can gauge the strength of both legs and compare how they are doing. If you only do lifts using both legs and you begin to work hard to finish sets, if you're legs are of uneven strength, the stronger leg will continue to get stronger, while the weaker leg, although gaining strength, doesn't ever have a chance of catching up.

If your legs are uneven, this will make for future pains that will manifest in your posture, lower back, hips, and your knees will take a pounding (especially if you beging to run a lot later in training). Uneven hips are a real killer.

So, while you're recovering and gaining strength, isolate each leg for workouts so you can compare and make sure they are progressing.

Oh, forgot to add, to make matters trickier in learning to walk, a day or twoo after the accident when I was still super drugged in ICU, the Drs put a halo on me. That thin was "heavy" and cumbersome. So, trying to regain my strength and balance and learn to walk and function with that thing on was a real bugger.

Kaz,
How is the walking going? Dustin also had to re-learn to walk. Like Shorts he was very weak, like a stroke on the left side. The right had a compound fracture in the thigh, thus a rod was put in. It was 5-6 weeks post accident when they could use the tip table to start to weight bear on the legs. Then they used this big walker thing. Even with that the first time it still took 6 ppl to get him going. When we brought him home from the hospital he was still in a wheelchair. He could walk with lots of assistance. After a few days he wanted to put the chair up and walk. I had to assist him very much. But he became stronger and steadier each time. It was then a few more weeks until he could walk by himself. His left leg still is not real smooth but he walks all over. If he thinks about it he can move the left one more normal. The ankle doesn't bend up the same as the right so he lifts the leg higher to compensate and stop from catching the toe and tripping.
Sue

Sue,I'm getting there, I have to remember there is progress it just takes longer than I think but then I have to remember how many compound fractures went thru the muscles and give myself some credit:)
I use that gait trainer thing sometimes, it makes me feel like a puppet with a bad wedgie, but it's good to eval how much weight I put on that leg. I am now walking with a wheeled walker with a platform attachment for my rtbpi arm. Since crutches are a no no & the parrellel bars only help if you can distribute weight thru 'both' arms we use that attachment to put weight thru my shoulders and it helps me not to think my leg is going to give. I still have to use the wheelchair for anything I need to get to on time, lol, I just want to walk with something to get me into my truck so I can get back to work asap, this limbo of what my new normal will be is sometimes the test for my patience. Hey & Shorts I remember the 'belt' squeezin too, luckly my balance is ok & they don't make me wear it anymore. I have been isolating one leg 4 my mat work & I just got my knee bend enough to use the shuttle machine which makes me really focus. The sensory & motor stuff is hard to work with but I hve a EMG on my leg to check if there is nerve damage we need to work around. I just have to stay positive, work hard and keep dreamin big.......One day I'll be back in the Wind! Thanks for everything

Kaz,
I was so happy to hear you were learning to walk again!! You go girl!! You have the right attitude, you'll being getting all around on your own soon.
Sue

Kaz, sounds like you're doing great. Keep working hard!